Durban floods: Bodies of mother and daughter recovered in Chatsworth
The mother was found shielding her child. The death toll is 32, but still expected to increase.
The bodies of a mother and her child were recovered from the Westcliff Secondary School in Chatsworth after severe rainfall on 23 April 2019.
As reported by the eNCA’s Dasen Thathiah, the mother was found shielding her five-year-old child. Their bodies will be transported to the State mortuary.
In addition, nine more bodies were found a caretaker’s quarters at Westcliff Secondary School collapsed in a landslide. However, the figure is expected to rise as rescue missions continue.
Durban floods: Death toll
At the time of publishing, the death toll is at 32, including children. Hundreds of residents have been displaced in the area by the recent rains, and ten residents are still missing.
Read – Easter floods: SANDF deployed to Port St Johns
Residents evacuated due to the Durban floods
The KwaZulu-Natal Co-operative Governance Department spokesperson, Lennox Mabaso, told Eyewitness News that the department is “doing everything to make sure [they] reach everyone.” Mabaso added:
“We’re asking people to move to higher ground and to make sure that they look for safety first. The weather conditions have not subsided at this stage, we still have warnings that there’s likely to be more rains.”
In addition to the loss of life, buildings and homes have suffered extensive damage. In Port St John, more than 300 residents were evacuated, while the Disaster Management Unit in Mandela Day is on high alert after increased rainfall.
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Watch: Dasen Thathiah reporting from site
The bodies of a mother and a child have just been pulled out. Search and rescue workers tell me the mother was found shielding her 5-year-old with her body. It brings to 8 the number of dead here. The victims will be transported to the State mortuary. #DurbanFloods pic.twitter.com/Y76LHGfrFa
— Dasen Thathiah (@DasenThathiah) April 23, 2019
Nomkhosi Duma painfully recounts how she found her sister and her sister’s children crushed to death in the caretakers’ cottage of the Westcliff Secondary School. #DurbanFloods pic.twitter.com/hAqvQMrWNQ
— Dasen Thathiah (@DasenThathiah) April 23, 2019
Road 720 in Chatsworth this evening, after #DurbanFloods pic.twitter.com/RRN1kgNjSs
— Dasen Thathiah (@DasenThathiah) April 23, 2019
